Has anyone gone solar, on your home?

[Chief Big Toe]

we have been thinking about doing it as well, but all points taken in to consideration... don't seem like a truly fisable idea for use, as the Co-Op will get there's, perhaps being out and off the grid, it would be great

[Briar Friar]

Ha!...HDWrench...thats funny.

In for discussion.

[BTLowry]

If I ever build another house I will be looking into geothermal heating/cooling, good insulation and running as much as I can on propane/ natural gas

Like stated above, if solar was so great there would be lines and long waits to get things done I would think
At least for total solar powered houses

[Traildust]

#CoalminersLivesMatter

[Texastaxi]

I was just talking to an electrical engineer about this yesterday. He is not aware of any solar panels that can put out 240V AC. There will still
be additional equipment to convert the DC output to AC and he believes that there will still be batteries.

That being said I have no personal experience with them so I’m not qualified to say whether his statements are true. But he is very well versed in his field so I suspect he is correct.


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The way these panels work is each one has a microinverter that converts the DC to AC power. These are the ones they use. Enphase I'm not sure exactly which ones, but this is the brand in the quote. He showed me a map of all the houses, in the area that they've done already so there's no question that they've got the 240v conversion issue solved ... and he said other than the panels on the roof, and the wire to the breaker box, there is no other equipment.

[wsteffen]

Daughter and son-in-law had solar panels installed on their two story house in Austin when it was built. They don't have the batteries, it just ties into the grid. Their highest Electric bill in the summer has been around $50. Their system has paid for itself in savings over the six years they have been in the house. They got a tax credit from Austin when they installed it to help offset the cost. They have two meters on their house. One shows the watts generated and fed into the grid and the other shows their usage.

[double lung]

We bought a house that already had solar panels installed. Our previous house (same neighborhood / same provider) was about half the size of our new house and our new house has a pool. Our electric bill is just about the same in the new house as it was in the smaller house.

We have also had a few hail storms come through in the year we have been living there.

No issues so far...

[Mike D]

The way these panels work is each one has a microinverter that converts the DC to AC power. These are the ones they use. Enphase I'm not sure exactly which ones, but this is the brand in the quote. He showed me a map of all the houses, in the area that they've done already so there's no question that they've got the 240v conversion issue solved ... and he said other than the panels on the roof, and the wire to the breaker box, there is no other equipment.

When you built did you foam encapsulate your house? If not I think you would see a better return on your investment by doing that. And you wouldn’t have your roof covered by solar panels.

Strictly my opinion but I see it as unsightly and another maintenance item.


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[Burnadell]

Who is the company?

[Texastaxi]

When you built did you foam encapsulate your house? If not I think you would see a better return on your investment by doing that. And you wouldn’t have your roof covered by solar panels.

Strictly my opinion but I see it as unsightly and another maintenance item.


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Unfortunately, I didn't do enough research on spray foam and had the whole barn insulated, when it was erected ... the spray foam won't stick to the vinyl backing on that other insulation. SO, I had to go with conventional insulation ... I wish I could have sprayed it. I could have had the walls done, but without doing the encapsulation, it's pretty much useless, as you probably know.

[Texastaxi]

Who is the company?

You gonna go whoop his arse?

It's Sunpro.
If you call them though, use my name so I can get a referral!

[HDWRENCH]

Ha!...HDWrench...thats funny.

In for discussion.

I think if your in a right area like Austin that is what that city is about but around here , heck not even city bus's HA HA .

My buddy is all about solar in CA he has a massive battery bank and is now 100% off the grid , no meter no nothing , he does have a small gen set with propane for fuel if thee is an issue .

I can see that working great but cost wise , it was not cheap . but you are free from them and their ever increasing bills and fees plans etc .


They had a limiter on my system when I moved in . I bypassed it and holy hell got a call in less than an hour !!!!

They told me it was against the law to tamper with it etc etc . I just laughed told them to stuff it come get it .. I will use my power when and how I want I am paying for it and there is no discount for the limit box so why is it here .. again oncor is the devil

[JHT]

They guarantee everything for 25 years. At minimum, you'd have 13 years of no electric bill. The life expectancy of the equipment is 40 to 50 years.

Am I missing something here?

This is the line I can't believe. Minus the microwave in my old mans house I can't recall any electronic device lasting this long.

I can't imagine the factory that is building these specific solar panels today will have the ones they install still in production in 40-50 years. The technology of solar panels in 10 years won't be anything like what they are today.

I would ask the sales guy about this. It seems like they would have you by the hogans down the road if there were problems. "Well we don't make these panels anymore but we can upgrade you to a more efficient panel for "X" and we will have to redo the system that runs it too because it all runs on some new code that isn't compatible with your current one.

It's cool to see how some are seeing the benefits of having them and good luck if you go for it.

[Dirtymike]

friend had them on their roof. Storm damage and they had to pay an arm and a leg to have them removed, stored in their yard then re installed after roof was repaired.

Was not a barndo.

Insurance only covered damage to roof not removal, or installing them again on the roof.

If you have the space have them put them on the ground. Easier to get to to clean and will never have to deal with them needing to be removed from your home.

I am still on the fence. I know tech is always improving. I think at this point i am holding out a bit longer.

[sotol]

Are any of these solar panel owners people who like their a/c to keep them cool in August? Some folks tell me a bout there low power bills but they both work and for t days a week they don't cool their house for 9 hours of sunshine infested Texas summer.

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